Automatic beer can opener



g- 4, 1959 c. L. MEADOWS 2,897,590

AUTOMATIC BEER CAN OPENER Filed Sept. 29, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 :L T B; AUUA Tole T I SWITCHLS SWITCH H TOGGLE 5' WI TC H Charles L Meadow ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1959 c. MEADOWS AUTOMATIC BEER CAN OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 29, 1958 AL'TUA TOR SWITCHES E I I I LI l N/CRO SWITCH TOGGLE SWITCH INVENTOR Charles L Meadows ATTORNEY AUTOMATIC BEER CAN OPENER Charles L. Meadows, Homer, La., assignor of twenty-five percent to John D. Basinger and twenty-four percent to Danny R. Moore Application September 29, 1958, Serial No. 764,159

9 Claims. (Cl. 30-4) My invention relates to improvements in automatic can openers, especially commercial openers for regular and king size beer cans.

Beer cans are standardized in 12 oz. and 16 oz. cans with the circumferences of both cans substantially identical and the only difference in the containers being that the 16 oz. cans are taller than the 12 oz. cans.

In opening cans of varying sizes there is a problem of splashing wherein the contents of the cans, especially if it is carbonated, splashes over the top of the can and into the housing of the opener.

It is therefore a principal object of my invention to provide an opener which can be quickly adapted to open both regular and king size cans and which will open said cans without splashing the contents thereof over the opener.

Another object of the invention is to provide an opener which embodies an adapter base movable to position in both a regular and king size can in the opener.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a can opener means preventing the contents of either the regular or king size cans from splashing when said can is opened.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide an automatic opener which is simple to operate and easy to keep clean.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the opener;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the opener showing the adapter base in full line and broken line positions;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the adapter base; and

Fig. 6 is an electric diagram of the opener.

In the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 10 indicates a housing having a floor portion 11. A bracket member 12 having side portions 120 and a top connecting member 12b is secured to the floor 11 of the housing 10 over the opening 13 in the floor 11 by any suitable means such as welding, indicated at 14. A sleeve 15 centered within the bracket 12 extends through the floor 11 of the housing 10 and upward through an opening 16 in the member 12b and is secured to the floor 11 and the member 1212 such as by welding at 17. Bearings 18 are provided in both ends of the sleeve 15. A plunger rod 19 is journalled in the sleeve 15 having a threaded upper end 19a. A cutting head 20 is secured to a collar 21 which is carried by the lower end of the plunger rod 19 and limits the upward movement of the plunger by engaging the washer 22 which covers the hired States Patent ice underside of the opening 13 in the floor 11. The cutting head 20 has two punches, a large punch 20a and a smaller one 2% to provide a pouring opening and a vent ad jacent the pouring opening.

A pair of T-shaped cross bars 23 are provided on opposite sides of the center piece 24 which is carried by the plunger rod 19 and is held in place by lock nut 25 threaded on the upper end 19a. Link members 26 and 27 are carried by each end of the cross bar 23 and are secured together by cotter pins 28. The ends of the bars 23 are bradded as at 29 to prevent links 26 from sliding ed the bar 23. The links 27 are operatively connected to the four solenoid units 30 which are secured to the bracket members 12a by bolts 31 and nuts 32. A coil spring 33 is disposed on the plunger rod 19 between the under-surface of the center piece 24 and the top of the member 12b urging the plunger rod and its cross bar upward.

A guide post 34 having a threaded upper end 340 is secured to the floor 11 on opposite sides thereof by means of nuts 35 in vertical alignment with the leading edge of the small punch 21b and extends through a ring 36 carried by punch 21b.

A micro switch 37 is secured between the bracket member 12a and two of the solenoid units 30 by the bolts 31 and nuts 32, and carries a trigger 38.

The housing 10 is secured by any suitable means such as welding as at 39 to a U-support 40 having side walls 41, a rear wall 45 and an elongated floor 43. A front cover plate 44 is removably secured to the U-shaped support 40. A U-shaped wall 42 adjacent the rear wall 45 of the U-shaped support 40 provides a compartment 46 which houses the wiring (not shown) and actuator switches 47 and 48 and the relay 49. The triggers 50 and 51 for the actuator switches 48 and 47 extend through the rear wall 45. Trigger support plate 52 extends from the rear wall 45 and supports the trigger 50 while support member 53 supports trigger 51. The support members 52 and 53 limit the inward movement of the can to be opened and maintain the triggers 50 and 51 in proper horizontal alignment to engage the can.

A U-shaped guide rail 54 is secured by any suitable means to the floor 43 to correctly position a 16 oz. beer can to be opened.

An adapter base 55 is removably seated over the guide rail 54 and includes a hinge 56 which is fastened to the floor 43 and to a side wall 57 of the adapter base 55 such as by screws 56a. A guide rail 58 for 12 oz. cans is provided at the top portion of the adapter base 55 adjacent the floor 55a and has a cut away portion 59 in the rear of the guide 58 to receive the activator trigger 51. A knob 60 is secured to the side of the adapter base 55 opposite the side 57 which carries the hinge 56. The guide rail 58 and the floor 55a terminate at their outer ends in a ramp 61.

Two L-shaped support bars 62 are secured to opposite side walls 41 and carry an anti-splash plate 63. The plate 63 has openings 64 and 65 comforming to the shape and size of the puncher 20a and 20b and extends to the rear wall 45 and outwardly past the forward edges of side walls 41 and terminates in an upwardly turned lip portion 63a. The anti-splash plate 63 is secured to the L- brackets 62 by bolts 66 and nuts 67. Springs 68 are interposed between the anti-splash plate 63 and the bolt heads to enable the anti-splash plate 63 to be moved upward under pressure when a can is inserted or removed from the opener and to force the plate against the top of the can when same is to be opened.

In operation, a can is placed in the U-shaped support 40 and is guided by either guide rail 54 or 58 (depending upon the size of the can) and contacts actuator triggers 5t and 51 which operates actuator switches 47 and 48. The solenoids 30 react drawing down the cross arm 23 and plunger bar 19. The cross arm 23 on its downward stroke strikes the trigger 38 of the micro switch 37, closing it and activating the input side of the three way relay switch 49. The solenoid circuit is broken and the input of the relay circuit is closed, thereby maintaining the solenoid circuit open until the can is removed. The spring 33 returns the plunger rod and cross arm 23 to operative position.

The adapter base 55 is for use with 12 oz. cans and when 16 oz. cans are to be opened, the adapter base 55 is swung to the left as shown in Fig. 2 by grasping the knob 60 and is positioned adjacent the inner wall 41 when not in use.

Guide post 34 extends through ring 36 which is carried by the cutting head 20, and correctly positions the punches 20a and 20b in relation to their respective openings 64 and 65 in the anti-splash plate 63.

An on-ofi toggle switch 69 (see Fig. 1) is provided to open the whole circuit during cleaning or adjusting operations.

It is understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as hereinafter claimed.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. An automatic can opener adapted to open cans of varying heighths comprising a housing having an electrically operated plunger carrying cutting member mounted vertically therein, a cross arm secured to said plunger and movable therewith, switch means operated by said cross arm when said plunger is descending to cut off said electric operation, spring means urging said plunger upward, a base portion adapted to receive cans of different heighths, an anti-splash plate positioned over the top of a can to be opened having an opening therein conforming to the shape and size of said cutting member, and yieldable spring means enabling a can to be inserted under said anti-splash plate on said base and holding said antisplash plate in close relationship with the top of the can to be opened.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein said anti-splash plate has an upwardly extending lip portion to enable the can to be easily entered or withdrawn from the opener.

3. The structure of clairn 1, wherein guide means associated with said housing and said cutting member aligns said cutting member with the openings in said anti-splash plate.

4. An automatic can opener adapted to open cans of varying heighths comprising a housing having an electrically operated plunger carrying a cutting member mounted therein, a base portion adapted to receive cans of varying heighths, an anti-splash platepositioned over the top of a can to be opened having an opening therein conforming to the shape and size of the cutting member, and yieldable spring means enabling a can to be inserted under said antisplash plate on said base and holding said anti-splash plate in close relationship with the top of the can to be opened.

5. The structure of claim 4, wherein said anti-splash plate has an upwardly extending lip portion to enable the can to be easily entered or withdrawn from the opener.

6. The structure of claim 4, wherein guide means associated with said housing and said cutting member aligns said cutting member with the openings in said anti-splash plate.

7. An automatic can opener adapted to open cans of varying heighths comprising a housing having an electrically operated plunger carrying a cutting member mounted therein, a base portion adapted to receive cans of varying heighths comprising a base portion having a guide rail, a U-shaped block overlying said base portion and its guide rail providing a ramp at one end thereof for entry of the can to be opened, a guide rail extending above said block on three sides thereof, and hinge means enabling said block to be swung to an inoperative position and exposing said base member and its guide rail, an antisplash plate positioned over the top of a can to be opened having an opening therein conforming to the shape and size of the cutting member, and yieldable spring means enabling a can to be inserted under said anti-splash plate on said base and holding said antisplash plate in close relationship with the top of the can to be opened.

8. An automatic can opener adapted to open cans of varying heighth comprising a housing including a bottom portion having an electrically operated plunger carrying a cutting member mounted thereon, a U-shaped support secured to the bottom of said housing having a base portion adapted to receive cans of varying heighths, an antisplash plate carried by said support and overlying the top of a can to be opened, said splash plate having an opening therein conforming to the size and shape of the cutting manner, yieldable spring means enabling a can to be inserted under said anti-splash plate on said base and holding said anti-splash plate in close relationship with the top of the can to be opened, and guide means comprising a rod secured through the bottom of said housing, a ring secured to said cutting member and receiving said rod therethrough whereby said plunger and its cutting memher is maintained in alignment with the openings in said anti-splash plate.

9. The structure of claim 8, wherein said anti-splash plate has an upwardly extending lip portion to enable the ean to be easily entered or withdrawn from the opener.

No references cited. 

